Mas Amiel comes from the name of an engineer who won 10 hectares of vines in 1816 during a card game. Protected to the north by the Corbières hills and to the south by the first slopes of the Pyrenees, Mas Amiel is located near the village of Maury and now spans 100 hectares of vines. Truly part of the renaissance of the Maury appellation that saw winemakers invest to produce higher quality wines and become more ambitious in the sale of their wines. Since then, the vineyard was purchased by Olivier Decelle in 1999 (who also owns vineyards in Saint-Emilion and Fronsac), and it has continued to improve in quality. Dry wines have also made a comeback in Maury and at Mas Amiel (in which it played an important role), and the dry wines have since earned their own AOC and organic certification.
Mas Amiel is certified organic and is in the process of converting to biodynamic certification.


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Maury's terroir lies in the commune of the same name, to the north of Agly (30km from Perpignan), and also partly in the neighbouring communes. It consists of steep slopes of black schist (Maury comes from "Amarioles" meaning "black earth") that are planted with Grenache Noir and produce the famous vin doux naturels (lightly fortified wines) that are aged in barrels. Deep red when young and in the "rimage" style (matured without oxidation, to preserve the fruit), the wines become a mahogany colour as they age. Those that are matured in barrels have more of a tile colour, and the oxidized "rancios" are more orangey, developing the dark colour of walnut stain. Always very intense, the bouquet is very aromatic, with a base of small red fruit (Morello cherries, blackberries, red berries). Ageing produces hints of vanilla, prunes and candied fruit which evolve towards dried fruit, roasted notes, cocoa, leather and walnuts for the rancios. The most evolved recall cocoa, cooked fruit and coffee. On the palate they are warm, well-structured and fruity when young, with notes of plums and fruit-in-brandy for the aged wines, while the oldest wines and rancios eventually evolve notes of coffee, spices, cocoa and walnuts. The finish is remarkably long.